Total T and Free T Labs

[Todahoopyall1]

72 year old LabCorp results TT 1774 up from 1383 age recommended levels 264–916. Bioavailable free T, 404 recommended range 60–240 .22% for >70 years old. (Are these numbers too high) I think I’ve seen higher numbers considered OK on this forum. Recommended range seems to be age related. PCP is looking for about 1000 TT. This is the first time Free T numbers have increased significantly, which was the original purpose…?

 

[Todahoopyall1]

72 year old LabCorp results TT 1774 up from 1383 age recommended levels 264–916. Bioavailable free T, 404 recommended range 60–240 .22% for >70 years old. (Are these numbers too high) I think I’ve seen higher numbers considered OK on this forum. Recommended range seems to be age related. PCP is looking for about 1000 TT. This is the first time Free T numbers have increased significantly, which was the original purpose…?

I forgot to mention dosage increased from 100 MG per week to 150 MG per week is the reason I’m seeing the increased #’s

 

[Systemlord]

Bioavailable free T, 404 recommended range 60–240 .22% for >70 years old.

There’s so much more to hormones than the absolute level, sensitivity to androgens, current health problems, and endocrine disrupting chemicals can work against you.

Instead target symptoms resolution and healthy biomakers.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t desire to feel like a typical 51 year old man, less productive than younger men.

I want to feel my absolute best and have healthy biomarkers across the board.

I’m baffled why you or your doctor increased your dosage from 100-150 mg.

You most likely don’t need levels this high to feel your best.

You might be better off 60-75 mg per week.

 

[Systemlord]

Recommended range seems to be age related.

I wouldn’t pay any attention to recocomdations, a one-size fits all approach, hormone response is so varied patient to patient. The biggest issue in the hormone world, no one can agree on what is normal, so these recommendations may not be coming from people who aren’t necessarily extensively, educated, or trained in sex hormones.

 

[Todahoopyall1]

Thank you for responding. Increasing from 100 to 150 was due to unresponsive Free T levels. At 100 Mg/week, Free T levels remained below low end of normal range.

 

[Systemlord]

Thank you for responding. Increasing from 100 to 150 was due to unresponsive Free T levels. At 100 Mg/week, Free T levels remained below low end of normal range.

Then that could only mean one thing, you have high SHBG, which binds testosterone. Symptoms or lack thereof always follows the Free T, not the Total T. So your doctor targeting 1000 ng/dL is futile and this shows your doctor doesn’t understand what he’s doing.

TRT isn’t about fixing the numbers, it’s about resolving the symptoms.

 

[Systemlord]

Free Testosterone Levels [Update • 2025] The Ultimate Guide

Free testosterone levels dictate exactly how much of a “man” one feels. From sex drive to deciveness, free-T levels matter. Inside, you’ll find out why.

www.testosterone.org

 

[Todahoopyall1]

Thanks for the info on FT…I’ll ck it out . PCP knew enough to see the need to raise FT. I had normal range TT before starting TRT.

 

[tropicaldaze1950]

72 year old LabCorp results TT 1774 up from 1383 age recommended levels 264–916. Bioavailable free T, 404 recommended range 60–240 .22% for >70 years old. (Are these numbers too high) I think I’ve seen higher numbers considered OK on this forum. Recommended range seems to be age related. PCP is looking for about 1000 TT. This is the first time Free T numbers have increased significantly, which was the original purpose…?

What's your injection protocol and how many days after injecting were labs drawn?

 

[Todahoopyall1]

Those levels were actually at the trough, eight days after injection… 7 AM & fasting. 150 Mg per week for eight weeks prior to testing.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

I think I’ve seen higher numbers considered OK on this forum.

Where have you seen anyone saying that a TT higher than 1300 ng/dl is OK in this forum?

The testosterone dose should be adjusted and titrated based on:

1- Symptoms
2- Side effects like difficulty managing hematocrit, decreased HDL, etc
3- Blood pressure
4- Other factors.

 

[Cataceous]

72 year old LabCorp results TT 1774 up from 1383 age recommended levels 264–916. Bioavailable free T, 404 recommended range 60–240 .22% for >70 years old. (Are these numbers too high) I think I’ve seen higher numbers considered OK on this forum. Recommended range seems to be age related. PCP is looking for about 1000 TT. This is the first time Free T numbers have increased significantly, which was the original purpose…?

Yes, the numbers are too high. Do you happen to know if a different test was used previously for free testosterone? Were they labeled "direct"? Maybe provide some results with ranges. In any case, your current protocol is giving you an average of 15 mg testosterone per day. The normal range of production in healthy men is 3-9 mg per day. There's virtually no chance that the current dose is necessary or appropriate.

 

[Todahoopyall1]

Nelson, thank you for responding. I apologize thinking I saw those #s on this website. I know I read somewhere where 2500 TT was considered the high end of the range, and 32 for FT the high end of the range. At 100 MG per week I did a dialysis free testosterone test and it still came up below the low side of the range. My doctor started using what’s known as Bio available free testosterone test (labCorp) which indicated 22%. increasing the dose to 150 MG per week is the only dosage that increased FT above the lower limit of the range for any test I’ve taken.

 

[Todahoopyall1]

My endocrinologist, started me on 400 Mg per month. I was under the impression that if that was insufficient the next step up would usually be 600 Mg per month, topping out at 800 Mg per month as the maximum. I’m sure I read that multiple places other than this forum. Thank you for the correction!

 

[Todahoopyall1]

I think I’m making a rookie mistake. I am looking at dosage rather than test results and assuming there should be a generally consistent increase in TT & FT with everyone based on dosage. As I said however, I have not seen a FT increase until increasing from 100 MG per week to 150 MG per week. I will back off and try 125 per week seeing if I can find the sweet spot. Thanks for all you do!

 

[Cataceous]

In general free testosterone should be proportional to dose. Total testosterone can be more confounding because changes in SHBG alter it. Without a detailed description of your free testosterone test methods and timing relative to doses it's hard to say why you've seen inconsistent results. For example, if you're testing at a pre-injection trough with weekly injections then you have to consider that peak levels can be two to three times higher. In this case dividing the dose into at least two injections per week would dampen the large fluctuations in serum testosterone, allowing for physiological doses.

 

[Todahoopyall1]

Thanks for your insights! I have recently switched to two injections per week, and going forward will be 62mg 2xx per week.

 

[bixt]

Where have you seen anyone saying that a TT higher than 1300 ng/dl is OK in this forum?

The testosterone dose should be adjusted and titrated based on:

1- Symptoms
2- Side effects like difficulty managing hematocrit, decreased HDL, etc
3- Blood pressure
4- Other factors.

This post is absolute gold. I love it. Nowhere in the above list do I see it mentioned that the dose is to be adjusted and titrated:

1 - If T levels too low or high on paper
2 - If arbitrary dose in mg seems too high for excelmale members

Instead, we are adjusting the dose by how you feel and your overall health. I wholeheartedly agree with this.

 

[Cataceous]

This post is absolute gold. I love it. Nowhere in the above list do I see it mentioned that the dose is to be adjusted and titrated:

1 - If T levels too low or high on paper
2 - If arbitrary dose in mg seems too high for excelmale members

Instead, we are adjusting the dose by how you feel and your overall health. I wholeheartedly agree with this.

If overall health is important then:

1 - If T levels are higher than any healthy man is likely to have naturally then maybe you should think twice about dosing, especially if you're just starting. If physiological levels of testosterone don't resolve symptoms then there's more to it and you should try to understand why. There are U-shaped mortality curves associated with hormone levels. Maybe you shouldn't be the one exploring whether there's causality in that association.

2- If dose in mg provides more testosterone than any healthy man is likely to make naturally then see (1). Nothing arbitrary about it.

 

[Todahoopyall1]

Thank you for reinforcing what others have said!